Juanjo Guarnido (born 1967) is a Spanish illustrator and the co-author of the comic book series ''

Blacksad ''Blacksad'' is a noir comic series created by Spanish authors Juan Díaz Canales (writer) and Juanjo Guarnido (artist), and published by French publisher Dargaud in album format. Though both authors are Spanish, their main target audience f ...

''.

Early life

Guarnido was born in

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the

University of Granada The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...

Career

Guarnido collaborated on several

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

s and produced work for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. Unfortunately, the small size of the Spanish market forced him to turn to other means of earning a living. In 1990, he left Granada and moved to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, where he worked on a TV series for three years. There he met

Juan Díaz Canales Juan Díaz Canales is a Spanish comics artist and an animated film director, known as the co-creator of '' Blacksad''. Biography At an early age, Juan Díaz Canales became interested in comics and their creation, which progressed and broadened ...

, with whom he discussed producing comics. In 1993, Guarnido applied for a job with the Walt Disney Studios in Montreuil,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and consequently moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He was the lead animator for the character Sabor in the Disney film ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'', as well as the lead animator for

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

in ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'' and Helga in ''

Atlantis: The Lost Empire ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' is a 2001 American animated science fiction film, science fiction action film, action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. ...

''. After Guarnido left Disney, he reconnected with Canales. After contacting several editors, Guarnido and Canales finally signed on with French publisher Dargaud, and in November 2000, ''Quelque part entre les ombres (Somewhere within the Shadows)'' was published. It was a success among critics and the public, and won the Prix de la Découverte at the Sierre International Comics Festival and the "Avenir" Prize at the

Lys-lez-Lannoy Lys-lez-Lannoy (, literally ''Lys near Lannoy''; West Flemish: ''Lis by Lannoy'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord ...

Festival, respectively in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

. In March 2003, the second album ''Arctic-Nation'' was released. It was once again a success, winning the Prize Awarded by the Audience and the Prize for Artwork at the 2004 Angoulême International Comics Festival. The third instalment of the ''Blacksad'' series, ''Âme Rouge (Red Soul)'', was published in 2005. In 2006 it was awarded the Angoulême Prize for a Series. In 2009 Guarnido teamed up with writer Alain Ayroles, who is known for two hugely successful BD series in France -

Garulfo ''Garulfo'' is a six-volume fantasy graphic novel created by writer Alain Ayroles, cartoonist Bruno Maïorana and colorist Thierry Leprévost. ''Garulfo'' is a humorous modern fable inspired by traditional folklore, legends and fairy tales. It is ...

and De cap et de Crocs, to begin work on a 'one shot' project that resulted in the release of ''Les Indes Fourbes'' (The treacherous Indies) by publishing house Delcourt some ten years later, in 2019. Billed as the second part of El Buscón (The Swindler) by Francisco de Quevedo, it is narrated by lovable rogue Don Pablos whose aim in life is to become a gentleman. Les Indes Fourbes starts with Don Pablos’ journey to the New World and the comedy of events that unfold.

Awards

*2000: Prize for Best First Album at the Lys-lez-Lannoy festival *2000: Prix spécial at the Rœulx (Belgium) festival *2000: Prix Némo at the Maisons-Laffitte festival *2000: Prix découverte at Sierre International Comics Festival *2001: Best Artwork Award at Festival de Chambéry *2002: Best Artwork Award at Grand Prix Albert Uderzo *2003: Prix spécial du jury au Sierre International Comics Festival *2004: Angoulême Audience Award, for ''Arctic-Nation'' *2004: Angoulême Best Artwork Award, for ''Arctic-Nation'' *2004: Virgin Prize for Best Album, for ''Arctic-Nation'' *2006: Angoulême Best Series Award, for the ''Blacksad'' series *2006: Bédéis Causa - Prix Maurice Petitdier for the best foreign comic at the Festival de la BD francophone de Québec for ''Blacksad'' *2008: Iluminart Artward, for the ''Blacksad'' series *2011:

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art), for the ''Blacksad'' series *2019: The ''Landerneau Prize'' (France) awarded by

Régis Loisel Régis Loisel (born 4 December 1951) is a French cartoonist, best known for the series '' La Quête de l'oiseau du temps'', written by Serge Le Tendre. He worked with Walt Disney Studios on the animated films ''Atlantis'' and ''Mulan''. Biblio ...

for '' Les Indes fourbes''. *2019: The ''RTL Grand Prix'' for comics (France) for ''Les Indes fourbes''. *2019: Comic booksellers (France) prize for ''Les Indes fourbes''.

Bibliography

* ''

'' series (Dargaud) with

**''Somewhere Within the Shadows'' (2000) **''Arctic Nation'' (2003) **''Red Soul'' (2005) **''A Silent Hell'' (2010) **''Amarillo'' (2013)
''Les Indes fourbes'' (2019)
with Alain Ayroles

Independent Animations

* ''Freak of the Week'' (Director) (2014)

Notes

References

Guarnido publications in ''Pilote''
BDoubliées

External links

on Lambiek Comiclopedia
Blacksadmania.com
(French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Guarnido, Juanjo 1967 births Living people People from Granada Spanish animators Walt Disney Animation Studios people Spanish comics artists French graphic novelists Eisner Award winners for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior)